Michael Kulikoff, a 39-year-old California City councilmember, found himself in handcuffs facing serious charges related to a hazardous waste incident involving a car wash he owned, according to an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith. The indictment alleges that not only did Kulikoff conspire to transport mercury-contaminated waste without proper documentation, but his actions also put another person in the path of potential death or serious injury.
Details from court documents, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, revealed that an individual spilled mercury in their SUV back in February 2024 at Kulikoff's car wash after which the individual, trying to clean up the mess with a vacuum, later suffered from mercury exposure symptoms, this leading to an emergency response at the individual's residence, where mercury levels 20 times the permissible amount were detected. Kulikoff’s first attempt to rid his property of the toxic SUV was halted by emergency services, deeming it an unsafe hazardous materials scene.
In an alleged bid to move the problem outside of city jurisdiction, Kulikoff coordinated early the next morning with someone to drive the mercury-laden vehicle to Boron, the plan being enacted while emergency services were misled by a false fire report. On their return, they discovered the SUV had vanished, only to be located hours later with its driver also showing signs of mercury exposure.
The investigation, led by the U.S. EPA's CID and the FBI, brought to light Kulikoff's risky and law-defying actions, for which prosecutorial responsibility has been taken by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey A. Spivak and Arelis M. Clemente, "If convicted, Kulikoff faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy charge plus a potentially more severe 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine for each day he placed another individual in imminent danger," the Justice Department said.
